I'm dubbing January "The Month I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything", at least for this year. My usual go-go-go self has been quite the couch potato. That doesn't mean I haven't been doing some things. Groceries are being bought, dry cleaning is being dropped off and picked up, laundry is getting washed, errands are being run and food is being cooked. But when an opportunity for some down time presents itself, instead of pushing through and tackling the next thing on my never-ending To Do list, I use that down time. Between the move to our new house, the holidays, getting sick with the flu, and finishing to unpack the last of the boxes, it's no wonder I'm wiped out this month.

I've needed this shift in pace for a long time. I'm learning to listen to my body and give it what it needs when it needs it. This month, my body has needed a lot of rest both mentally and physically. I've been less chatty on Twitter, preferring just to read my feed and enjoy all the creativitiy people are putting out there. I'm not planning on leaving social media, but I'm re-balancing how much time I spend on it. I'm making much more time to read. I've also picked up crochet. I'm determined to keep these changes in my daily routine alive, because they've added back some of the balance and calm I've needed and it feels good.

I've also taken time this month to re-evaluate the direction of this space and map out some changes for my blog. A re-design is underway and I'm working behind the scenes with my talented graphic designer friend to create a totally new look. I'm finally switching to WordPress. Those two things alone are big changes and I'm so excited about them.

I've also decided on a drastic change for my blog: I will not be migrating any past content to my re-designed blog. There are two specific reasons for this decision. The first is because the CMS I'm using now is not the best and has a tendency to get glitchy. It would be a cost-prohibitive nightmare to have the web developer move my past content from this CMS to WordPress.

The second reason is more personal.

Six years ago, when I announced that I was starting a food blog, an immediate family member of mine told me that they didn't want me sharing any of my maternal grandmother's recipes because those are family recipes, they said. The meanspirited comment has stayed with me the six years I've written in this space. I started my food blog anyway, with Peter being my biggest fan and cheerleader, but that one hurtful comment from someone I had expected to be encouraging, took up permanent residence in my memory and haunted me with every post I wrote.

Although I had intended on making my blog all about Italian recipes from the outset, I frequently gave into the anxiety I often felt when I wanted to share something I grew up eating, so I would post something else instead. The Italian recipes that I did publish were ones I deemed "safe"--not "family recipes", but more ubiquitous Italian recipes. Six years of blogging like this has left me feeling defeated because all along, I wanted to share some of the traditional, regional recipes I grew up eating and loving so much.

So I'm starting over.

Once my blog re-launches, there won't be an archive of recipes; it will look like I've just started a new blog. It will be a fresh start, a clean slate and every recipe I publish will be Italian-no exceptions. I'm evicting the echo of that nasty comment from my memory and letting that space flood with memories of the wonderful food I grew up eating both here and in Italy.

The last change that you will see is that after this post, I will not be publishing any new content until the new Flavia's Flavors re-launches. This site is staying live during the re-design, so if there are any recipes in the archives that you like, you can still have full access to them until the re-launch. I am not changing web address, so the new blog will still be found at flaviasflavors.com.

I will be staying active and present on Twitter, so I hope we can connect there. You can follow me at @Flavias_Flavors. I will also be staying active on Instagram and doing something a little different: I'm going to micro-blog. I will be taking pictures of the food I'm cooking and baking and posting the recipe for some of the Italian recipes I make. I will also include my favorite cooking tips. I hope you will join me on Instagram too. You can find me as @flavias_flavors.

Thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I'm looking forward to the new changes on the horizon and continuing to share my love of Italian food with you.

A presto!

Comments (7)

Sounds very exciting! Great changes and amazing fresh start. I can't wait to see the new site.

Wow, big changes on the way! Excited for you. Sounds like you'll be doing things the way you've always wanted. Can't wait to see some of your traditional family recipes. I love comparing other Italian family recipes to my own - they're always a little different as each family puts their own spin on things :)